Ratings are so low on President Donald Trump’s new livestream that more people are tuning into YouTube to watch a blank screen with the sound of a running box fan.
The White House launched Trump TV, a livestream that never stops running, Monday, with a promo video featuring clips from America’s favorite shows like The Simpsons and The Office.
“TRUMP TV IS STREAMING NOW. 24/7, updated in real time, with top past moments, announcements, and the latest and greatest from the administration all in one place,” the White House wrote on X alongside the video. “Not every big moment has made it on your tv, now it can.”
But it seems more people are interested in watching videos that can put them to sleep rather than an old Trump speech.
At one point, a video showing a black screen with just the sound of a box fan on high speed had more streams than Trump TV.
On Thursday afternoon, Trump TV was streaming the president’s speech at the University of Alabama’s graduation ceremony from May 2025. Fewer than 700 people were watching the livestream compared to the thousands watching videos of squirrels eating nuts and rain hitting a tin roof.
A livestream of birds and squirrels snacking on seeds, nuts and fruit had more than 2,000 viewers Thursday afternoon. At the same time, a livestream titled “Rain Sounds for Sleeping” was generating more than 4,000 views.
Trump’s critics quickly went on social media to compare his new livestream to state-run media.
“First, Trump banned independent news from the White House. Now, he's launching what is quite literally state-run TV to try drowning out the fact that he and his corrupt administration are failing the American people,” California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote in an X post. “This is truly autocratic behavior from a failed President.”
“Days ago, Trump banned CNN, MSNOW and many others from the White House,” liberal commentator Dean Withers wrote. “Today, he’s announced State Ran Television. It’s official, we live in North Korea.”
The launch of Trump TV comes days after the president banned CNN, MSNOW, and Politico from the White House for unfavorable coverage, which the outlets argued in a lawsuit violated their First Amendment rights.
“Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America,” Trump wrote on Truth Social last Friday.
The president’s disdain for the mainstream media is well-documented, but the ban marks a significant shift in the executive branch’s relationship with the free press.
But by Thursday, reporters for the three outlets were allowed back in the White House after a federal judge temporarily reversed Trump’s ban.
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